In this Thanksgiving episode, the crew reflects on their gratitude for community support and creativity. Each member shares personal insights on how gratitude enhances their creative journeys and fosters meaningful connections. Join the discussion and share what you’re thankful for this holiday season!

Hello and welcome back to another episode of the Creative Work Hour podcast. Today is Thanksgiving Day, November the 28th 2024. And with Thanksgiving, I thought that we would just have a round of sharing for what we are grateful for. 

So on this Thanksgiving Day, what are you grateful for? And is there a tie-in in any way to creativity? What are you grateful for? 

We'll go to Alessandra, I'll pick on you. What are you grateful for?

I'm grateful that you can pick on me. I am so lucky that this crazy idea grew into something. And when I say grow, I think I mean grow as in like a tree grows where the roots go deep. It's not that we're like creating a big forest with lots of subscribers and blah blah, no. There are other people to do that, but there's nobody who does what we do together. And I'm just so very, very grateful. It keeps my act together more than any other thing on the planet ever has. And I don't, Devin is being so polite, he's not even nodding. So that's what I have.

Thank you, Alessandra. 

Devin, you're next on my screen. What are you grateful for? Well, the phrase that comes to my mind is like-minded. I am so grateful for this like-minded community. And I know that word gets tossed around a lot, and a lot of people try to commercialize it. But I think this is truly an authentic community. When I come here, I get to talk to people and listen to people who really think like I do, who maybe like to do more than 1 thing and have multiple interests and like to do deep dives in 1 thing this week and something entirely different next week or next month. And that's been very validating for me, as well as educational as I've been able to bounce things off of people and learn things and get tied to the new resources. But mostly it's just a feeling of belonging. It's a feeling of I'm not crazy, at least, you know, as crazy as I thought I was. Because I've got people I can reach out to and go, Hey, does this feel normal to you? Go, yep, that's about right. So it's just great to have this community of creatives that support each other and that are always here for me and for Alessandra. And that's been a real, just been a real great addition to my life. 

Thank you, Devin. Wai Ling, you're next on my screen. What are you grateful for?

I am grateful for belonging to a community where I can fully be myself and also be among people who I know whenever I ask for help and support, they are there fully for me. This, I think the best example I can give was my journey with the TreeMP competition, being able to come to the community, seek help and support, and then journey with them and win second place. So yeah, I'm really, really grateful for that.

Thank you, Wai Ling. Bobby, you're next up on my screen. What are you grateful for?

I'm just so grateful for the diversity of this welcoming community here.

I feel so safe that I can raise anything and It won't be judged. It'll be respected as this is my thought, this is my issue. And that just enables so much for me. So that's what I'm grateful for.

Thank you, Bobby. Andy, you're next up on my screen. What are you grateful for today?

Well, I am so grateful for this group of people that have been such a strong support for me throughout these years. I've been present. And it has been a steady growth, Thanks to you guys. And I started out as a writer, then I turned to a composer, and now I'm going to dive into how to paint better. So that's the next step in my creative journey. I don't see any limits in my creativity anymore. And even me, I've said, you shouldn't be afraid of your creativity and this because it's there. You should explore it when you can, as long as you can. So I'm so grateful for you guys.

It wouldn't have happened without you. So thank you.

Thank you, Andy. Shadows, you're next on my screen. What are you grateful for?

Well, most days I'm grateful for waking up and then I put the coffee on and I get grateful for the technology that connects me to places like Creative Work Hour and gives me access to a bottomless reservoir of knowledge using things like AI and search engines.

Thank you, Shadows. Michael, what about yourself?

Hey there. Well, thinking about this community, I'm really grateful mostly for the chill vibe, the see you when we see you. There's no pressure. You don't need to show up. No one's judging you that we missed you last week, Michael, where have you been? What have you been up to? You know, it's like, you can just live your life and there's always this sort of like base of support. You know what I mean? I always feel it. Like my participation varies a lot, but there's always that base of support. And I know that there's a core people here that are there regularly and it can show up whenever you need it. So that's really meaningful. And I'm so grateful for that.

And I know that you're grateful for croissants, right? We all know the croissant.

It's right. It's out of the oven now.

Michael is teasing us all. You can't see that on listening to this, but he yelled up a wonderful looking croissant.
Dr. Timeka, what are you grateful for?

I'm grateful for everything, Greg. I can't think of anything that I'm not, but most importantly, is that I share the same sentiments as everyone else. I'm grateful for this group because as an introvert, I get the chance to become an extrovert and in a safe space. And as Michael stated, I don't feel hounded by anyone to come back. And some days I look up and say, dude, oh my goodness, it's time, it's time. And I'm just so elated to return and I'm just here with everything. 

And now we have the podcast, Greg, I live for it. I wait for the intro and exit. So I'm grateful for that. I love little things. I love big things. But most importantly, I'm grateful for this group.

Thank you, Dr. Timeka. Dr. Melanie, how about yourself?

Well sort of what everybody else said, especially Devin, but it is kind of astonishing that this has occurred. And I mean, I first of all want to thank Alessandra because she's managed to make it as open as possible plus as safe as possible, which is kind of astonishing. But then it's everybody else. I mean, how the hell did we manage this? It's kind of great. You know, you come, you go, I know you're there. You know, I feel like I have friends and I kind of do, even though some of you I've never seen except in a little teeny box on my computer. So, and the music and the creativity And thanks.

Thank you, Dr. Melanie. 

And if I had to say what I was grateful for, I would echo everyone's sentiment on the podcast today. I'm truly grateful for having found a family of choice here. What a wonderful band of merry men and merry women we truly are. 

But it's happened again. But today you've not wasted any time. Your time listening to today's podcast was well worth it. No wasted time here today. 

Well, what about you? I would love to hear what you are grateful for today or any day?
Let us know. We'd be interested to hear that but in the meantime thank you!